And My Budget Is...

Almost always, when someone asks for a component recommendation, they always finish with "and my budget is $X". And I'm wondering how they arrived at that figure.  Now I'm not encouraging frivolous spending by any means and I would never make a purchase that is not financially responsible, so stop right there.  But maybe setting an arbitrary budget is not the way to do it. Back in 2004 when I re-entered high-end audio after a hiatus from the 80's, I went to audition a Naim CD player at a dealer in NYC.  At that time "and my budget is" was $1500, which to me was a lot of money for a CD player.  So I listened to the $1500 player and it was good, but nothing to get excited about.  When I expressed this to the dealer, he smiled and installed the $3000 model.  Well, I could not believe the difference. I had never heard a CD sound that way.  The realism of the whole experience just transported me to another level and I purchased it on the spot.  Yes, I did think it was expensive, but I shifted my priorities around after listening and said that the extra money was worth it to me and that I would restructure my budget in other areas to make up the difference.  So what I am saying is - rather than just setting a budget of X, maybe the better way is to listen to something you really love, that is not ridiculously out of your price range and then decide whether the difference is worth it to you. I would think that most everyone here spends more on audio than the average person would believe possible and many could stretch from that $1000 dac they say they want to that $5000 dac they love if they really wanted to. When my wife passed almost 7 years ago, I thought my life was over, but as I pulled myself out of the pit and built my life back up, I started living by this principle: Treat yourself responsibly well. Responsibly well.  And I think you should too.  Be healthy.